Breathe deep. Bend down. Pick it up. Place it against my shoulder. Breathe deep. Wait.
Ok ya’ll. Get your sight. Ready. Aim. Fire.
Squeeze Finger. Close Eyes. Squeeze Finger Tighter.
Pow. Pow. Pow.
So went my first time...shooting a gun.
This weekend I went to the shooting range with some co-workers. Mainly because I’ll try almost anything at least once. And I wanted to see what guns were all about, having never touched a real one, at least not without a plastic evidence bag between my fingertips and the cool metal.
Until this weekend, guns scared me. I didn't grow up with a grandfather who hunted. My grandaddy liked cars and pull your own part junkyards. Not a single family member owned a gun, as far as I knew. To me guns = dangerious weapons. That hurt and kill people.
But I had to rethink my stance on guns recently due to a couple of events. When I moved to the N.O. a few months back, a friend suggested that I get "a pistol" and I seriously considered it. What if somebody tried to run up on me in the mean streets of N'awlins? "I'm a public defender" might not do the trick to ward off someone bent on taking something from me. But then I thought about Nikki Red.mond, who bought a gun for protection from a stalker and ended up on trial for the murder of her boyfriend after she shot that same gun in fear of her life. Having a gun readily available in a moment of intense passion or rage might get somebody kilt. All the admonitions that tis better not to have a gun around because you're more likely to get shot with your own gun really stuck with me and I pushed the idea of gun ownership to the back of my mind.
Then the opportunity to actually go shoot guns came up, I decided to give it a go, you know the whole try it once thing. After my round at the range, my immediate thoughts were that I'd never shoot a gun again. I didn't get the thrill out of it that some of my colleagues did but I didn't shoot my eye out either. After some reflection, I have to admit that with each shot of the gun. my fears were lessened and I might just try it again sometime. Although the 9mm has way too much kick for a sista, I'm seriously thinking about a cute little pearl-handled revolver.
Round these parts you don't need a permit to own a gun, just enough gumption and money to make your purchase. Which means than way more people that I thought are packing. Mayhap I should too.
What say you?
